...A Long Time

Righto, moving right along from last night, we come to the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. Wow. Me just being there was a giant fluke. The initial conversation went something like this:

Pittman: So, you going to the concert tonight?

Derek: Nah, I don't think so. I need to save up my money. Aren't tickets like $45?

Pittman: Well, here, I'll give you this (hands me Greg Gatien's performer's pass), but I'll need it back at the end of the night.

Derek: Awesome! Thanks!

Actually, I first had to check to see if I could go, and that got the thumbs up, so I called him after my lesson to let him know what was up, and we met behind the concert hall, away from prying eyes, very cloak and dagger-like. Obviously, I bear no resemblance to the light-haired saxophonist/professor from Brandon, so I had to keep my tag backwards throughout the night to ensure that nobody got wise to the gig, yo. I had my horn with me so that I would look more like a performer and no one would get suspicious. I saw Mr. Pollard in the lobby, that was cool talking to him again. So I watched and listened to PrarieAir7 and then McCoy Tyner with him in the balcony, which apparently has the best sound in the place, as it's right behind the sound guy, or something like that. That was a breathtaking concert, to be sure. I loved how McCoy moved from dissonance to beauty so effortlessly and without breaking a stride. It wasn't entirely my cup of tea, but it kept me interested for the entire show, so it was a success in my books. Afterwards, I was going to head home, but John, Curt, Joel, Derek (Ullenboom, or D-Boom), and Andrew (who works at Sobey's in the deli) convinced me to join them. We headed over to the Liberty Grill to check out Michelle Gregoire. Mr. Hamilton was playing bass for her, and we also saw Mr. Workman there. We all shared a bottle of wine, then headed for the King's Head Pub to listen to Oliver Lake. Man, that was some crazy shit. He was playing some really interesting stuff; stuff you'd normally hear on a free jazz recording played over a standard background that swung like crazy. Something for everyone, I tell ya. Anyhow, Curt and Joel ended up talking to Charnet Moffett, McCoy Tyner's bassist, and eventually everyone got in on an impromptu performance of 'Now's The Time'. I didn't play because I suck, Joel didn't play because Will Bonness was on piano already, and Curt didn't play because...Well, I don't remember his name...Nashit something or other....Great....Now I feel like a dick....Was already on drums. After all the fun had ended there, We went out for a late evening meal to Johnny G's, we walked back, then I walked to the parking lot at the end of the street MTC is on alone. As I was leaving the lot, I saw a group of kids maybe no more than 10 or 11 just wander through the area. It was probably one of the most surreal things I'd ever seen in my life. Weird. I got home at 4:30 AM.

The next day, Joel had told me that he could get me a VIP pass, since Dave had snagged a whole bunch from his job at St. John's Music. I called him up and he told me to meet him outside the place. I show up, and he isn't there. I saw D-Boom, apparently Joel gave him the pass to give to me and maybe he forgot about it, so when I asked him is he had seen Joel, he just gave me an extra ticket that he had (since he managed to get himself a BS performers pass. Ha, didn't stop him from getting carded at the King's Head the night before. Curt had to let him in the back), and I got the pass after the show when we all met up and went our separate ways again. The show was the Roberto Occhipinti Quintet opening for the Paquito D'Rivera Quintet. In my opinion, that show was far superior to McCoy the night before. The sheer level of virtuosity displayed by the whole band, how tight they were, how alive and full of the music they were, was just awe-inspiring. Plus, it brought back some great memories of Cuba, and Paquito seemed to get along better with the crowd, who warmed up to him immediately. Afterwards, I headed over to the Fairmont Hotel to meet Samantha and her friend Murray, a trumpet player in the FoM, to see Denzel Sinclaire. That was a nice show, a good change of pace from all the high energy shows I'd seen over the last couple days. He has a really smooth voice, like chocolate, I think Sam said. Afterwards, we went to Johnny G's, and I drove Sam and Murray home while we listened to Radiohead's Kid A. I got home around 2 AM.

Fast forward a couple weeks, and we come to grad. Overrated, to say the least, but not bad. The convocation wasn't as hellish as I thought it would be. I led everyone in another amazing Aussie chant, went out for lunch with the family, then went to Shane's to smoke cigars and drink champagne and eat shrimp in the gazebo. That was a great afternoon, I'll say. Myself, Shane, Dan, Dave, Joel, Colin, Nick, Rob, and Jamison. Unfortunately, I had to drive home so I couldn't get drunk on champagne, although I hear that it's something I should try because it feels really bubbly. I showered, changed, took pictures, then headed out to pick up Sam - who graciously agreed to go with me - and threw in Live at Folsom Prison. What a great album to listen to on your graduation day. So uplifting. Dinner was alright, the music was bad, the speeches were ok (except for Mr. Evans'. His was absolutely brilliant), and it was kind of sad knowing that I may not see so many of these people again. Ms. Mlodzinski is going to Vancouver in the fall, Joel is going to Toronto, Jamison and Rob are going to Hamilton (I think that's where Queen's is) and they might even be gone before I get back from BC. I haven't talked to Dave or Dunja or Lucia or Valgardson in quite a while. Luce is in Toronto now, we took her out to dinner and got her buzzed the night before she left. It's a wicked world we live in. Safe Grad wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. I had a couple beers, got mildly drunk, and played pinball for about an hour. Most of the night I spent looking after Jenna. Soooooooooo drunk. I capped the evening off just chatting with Mike, Steve, Brandon, and Chan. Damn, I'm gonna miss those guys. So it goes.

Fat forward a couple days to Canada Day, and..........................Wilco! That's right, I spent my Canada Day watching a band from Chicago with Sam. Jeff Tweedy is simply amazing, Glen Kotche is such an incredible and talented drummer/percussionist, and Nels Cline just rocked my socks. It was a perfect performance. I'd gush about the other three band members, but I don't know their names off hand.

Fast Forward another couple weeks, and I got out to the Fring Festival last Thursday with Sam and some of her friends after I saw the WJO at the Forks and had dinner at Muddy Waters with my parents. Rebel Without A Niche was the title of the one-man show we saw. Hilarious and thoughtful. Far better than what I saw last year. Didn't get any gelatis, though.

So, that's been my life over the past few months in a nutshell. Chew on it.